TESTING, TESTING: VAUXHALL PUTS FINISHING TOUCHES TO ALL-NEW CORSA

Luton – Vauxhall’s all-new fifth generation Corsa is close to the end of development, primed to become the most efficient Corsa ever after undergoing extensive testing and tuning.

Vauxhall engineers have used the long polar winters in Swedish Lapland for intensive testing on frozen lakes and on snow-covered roads. Pre-production cars have been lapping the test tracks at the test centre for handling tuning, and the car has undergone electrical tests in the laboratory.

Customers can look forward to a more dynamic Corsa when sales start this summer, delivering the typical Vauxhall balance between sportiness and comfort. Thanks to lightweight engineering, the all-new Corsa’s weight has been reduced by more than 10 per cent compared with the outgoing model. Vauxhall will also offer the Corsa for the first time as a battery electric vehicle when the car goes on sale later this year.

Winter testing in the most extreme conditions

Vauxhall engineers have been testing the next-generation Corsa for months in Swedish Lapland, around 40km south of the Arctic Circle. Experts from the chassis control department have been using the harsh extremes of the environment to put the car through extensive chassis tuning programmes for balanced handling and comfort, as well as refining electronic stability, traction control and anti-lock brake systems on slippery surfaces – working in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. The control functions of the new Corsa must function reliably regardless of ice, snow, slush or asphalt, with any level of grip.

The new Corsa offers high levels of safety, comfort and driving dynamics, under the guidance of the test engineers who strike a balance between the ‘fun-to-drive’ qualities expected of the Vauxhall brand, with the limits and functionality set by the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) system. Vauxhall engineers will repeatedly lap the uniquely designed handling course – using both the oval and special surfaces – to continually optimise the control systems.

Testing with camouflaged cars began in Swedish Lapland last November. From January to March, the ice on the frozen lakes was around one metre thick, so that the test cars, snow-ploughs and water sprinklers could drive on them. During the long polar nights, the engineers benefitted from the Vauxhall lighting technology, as customers will with the road-ready car. The adaptive IntelliLux LED matrix headlights are available for the first time on the new Corsa. The glare-free matrix headlights automatically and continuously adapt to the prevailing traffic situation and surroundings. Approaching traffic and preceding vehicles are simply ‘cut out’ of the illuminated area. Glare is minimised and drivers enjoy optimum visibility for the first time in the small-car market segment.

The all-new Corsa has also undergone round-the-clock laboratory testing to check for electrical compatibility, as the new Vauxhall Corsa is packed with highly advanced electronic equipment.

The Corsa has also undergone round-the-clock laboratory testing to prove its electrical durability. The new model is equipped with a raft of highly advanced electrical systems, including the latest generation ESP and an all-new infotainment hub.

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Fuel consumption figures are determined according to the WLTP test cycle.
CO2 emissions figures are determined according to the WLTP test cycle however, a Government formula is then applied to translate these figures back to what they would have been under the outgoing NEDC test cycle, which WLTP replaces. The correct tax treatment is then applied. Figures are intended for comparability purposes only. The fuel consumption you achieve under real life driving conditions and CO2 produced will depend upon a number of factors, including the accessories fitted after registration, variations in driving styles, weather conditions and vehicle load. Only compare fuel consumption and CO2 with other vehicles tested using the same technical procedures. For more information on official fuel consumption and CO2 emission values and cycle-specific fuel consumption and CO2 figures, please visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/wltp/.

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